The Unexpected Heir Part 2
by Anna Louisa
Summary: Continuation of CaseyLove's story. Please read The Unexpected Heir and her beginning of The Unexpected Heir Part 2 first. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and James set out on the hunt to find and destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes. With a baby along, how will things change? Only time will tell.
1. Reunion (Ch 6)

**Hey everybody! This is the continuation of The Unexpected Heir Part 2, originally by CaseyLove. She chose to "pass the torch" to me, and I am so, so, SO glad to be able to continue this story (I always loved it). She has given me her notes and I will be following them to the best of my ability. It is pretty much a requirement that you read The Unexpected Heir and her beginning of The Unexpected Heir Part 2 if you want to read this, otherwise you won't understand a thing. To all of her old readers, I hope I do this story justice! To any new ones, welcome! Also, to my readers who are waiting for my Rose/Scorpius story to be updated soon, I promise, it is coming, but this is not the place for that. So without further ado, I introduce the continuation of The Unexpected Heir Part 2**

**Disclaimer: Characters and anything you recognize are JKR's, the idea belongs entirely to CaseyLove**

**Chapter 6: Reunion**

Spells flashed, bright bursts of green, red, and white flashing all around Harry's head, some of them emitting from his own wand. A wizard in deep red robes came running at him, wand out, and Harry dodged, then Stunned him quickly.

To his right and left, Ron and Hermione were both fighting tooth and nail as well. The effects of the Polyjuice Potion were almost gone, and aside from a few gray streaks, Hermione looked herself. Ron, however, was in some strange state of half Reg Cattermole and half Ron Weasley. His hair was red, and his freckles were reappearing, but he still had Cattermole's eyes, nose, and rather large potbelly. At any other time, Harry would have found this rather funny.

However, as a bright green flash struck the statue two inches to the left of him, he knew that this was no time for humor.

"REDUCTO!" he yelled, and the floor in front of the man's feet imploded, causing a pit that two or three Ministry workers fell into.

"Harry, we've got to get out of here!" Ron yelled, dodging a streak of red. "Grab Hermione and let's Apparate!"

"Where is she?" Harry asked, shooting yet another Stunning Spell at a nearby Ministry witch and missing completely because he was looking for Hermione.

"Here!" she shouted, yanking him out of the way as the witch he'd been trying to Stun shot a spell at him. The purple light hit the glass windows of the offices behind him and shattered them all, making Harry very glad he hadn't been hit by the spell.

"Ron, get over here!" Harry yelled, creating another hole in the Ministry floor in an attempt to give his best friend time to reach them.

Ron ran for them, Stunning and hexing anyone in his way. He was almost to them when he slipped on a huge stack of newspapers that had fallen to the ground in the chaos. A pale-skinned man with a twisted face managed to free himself from the crowd of people and run towards Ron, who was only just getting to his feet.

Next to Harry, Hermione screamed. A jet of white light shot from the end of her wand, heading straight for the man chasing Ron. Somehow, the man managed to duck, roll, and come up standing. He turned towards Harry, Ron, and Hermione again, and a light flicked on in the back of Harry's brain, confirming what they already suspected: the man was Antonin Dolohov, one of Voldemort's convicted Death Eaters. If he was working here, that meant only one thing: Voldemort really had taken over the Ministry (not that there had ever been any doubt).

"That's Antonin Dolohov!" Harry yelled to Hermione. "He's a convicted Death Eater! That means-"

"Voldemort's taken over the Ministry, yes, Harry, we already knew that," she yelled back. "Ron, come on!"

Ron was running as fast as he could, and he was almost there. Hermione stretched her hand out as far as she could, the other already holding Harry's in a death grip. Ron stretched his out, too, and about two feet behind him, so did Dolohov.

In the blink of an eye, it was over. Ron crashed into Hermione, grabbing her hand, yelling "GO!" over and over. Hermione turned on the spot, her hand tightening on Harry's. Harry glanced over her shoulder and saw Dolohov's twisted face spread into a hideous grin just as the world went black and the sensation of being squeezed through a very tight tube gripped him.

Dolohov had grabbed Ron. Dolohov was with them. They were bringing Dolohov with them, back to Grimmauld Place, back to James and Ginny...

Harry struggled, trying to redirect their Apparition, thinking desperately of Privet Drive. The sensation of being crushed seemed to stretch on longer than usual, giving Harry the hope that maybe, just maybe, they were being directed away from Grimmauld Place, that Ginny and James would be safe...

And then the crushing sensation disappeared and he saw, with a pang, the peeling paint and old wood of the door of Number Four, Grimmauld Place.

"PECTRIFICUS TOTALUS!" Hermione screamed, almost right in his ear, and he winced. Vaguely, he heard the thud of a body nearby, meaning she'd found her mark. He spun around to see Dolohov lying on the walkway to Number Four.

"Nice, Hermione," Harry said weakly, turning to face the house again. Or, rather, the door. Because the door and the frame were the only part of Number Four that were still standing.

"What the hell?" Ron asked. "Where's Ginny? Where's James?"

"GINNY! JAMES!" Harry yelled, feeling a panic creep up on him as he saw the wreckage. It looked as though the upper floors had been sent crashing down to the bottom floors, completely burying the lower part of the house. If Ginny or James had been anywhere in there...Harry refused to think about it.

"We have to find them!" he said, stepping around the door frame and beginning to shift pieces out of the way. "They've got to be here somewhere!" He could hear the hysterics rising in his own voice. Next to him, Ron was just as frantic, tearing carpets and portraits and tapestries in an attempt to see if Ginny or James were buried under all the rubble. Behind them, he could hear Hermione shifting the rubble apart with magic.

"Oh, for goodness' sake-stop it, both of you! I have a charm I can try, hold still!" she finally called to them in exasperation. Both Harry and Ron automatically froze. Harry's heart was thudding much too hard in his chest, so hard it was almost painful. His breath was coming in quick, heavy pants, and he could feel the sweat dewing on his forehead from all the lifting. But all of that was nothing compared to the total panic that was wracking his body at the moment.

"_Homenum revelio_," Hermione said, and all three of them stood stock-still, waiting for something to happen. After what felt like an eternity but was really only about 30 seconds, Harry spoke.

"What was that supposed to do?"

"It was supposed to tell us if anyone was in the area where the house was," she said shakily, "and it told me Ginny and James aren't here."

"No," Harry said, feeling his breath speed up. "No, you-you must have done it wrong, they're here, they have to be, I know they are-"

He was losing control, and he knew it. He took a few steps toward the center of the rubble and finally sank to his knees. He put his head in his hands and screwed up his eyes, willing himself not to cry or break down. Neither of those things would help Ginny or James right now. He allowed himself three deep breaths and then looked up.

Ron and Hermione were a few feet in front of him, pity and sorrow in both of their eyes. For some reason, Harry didn't want to see that.

"Where could they be?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady. "I mean...where would they have gone?"

"Harry..." Hermione said cautiously, her face hesitant. When he gestured to her to go on, she did so slowly, "we know it had to have been Death Eaters who did this...and...well, I know they can't see Ginny, but Ron had that piece of paper for her...the one about the Fidelius Charm or whatever, right? Well, he never gave that to her. I...I think it's safe to say they're either-either d-dead or c-captured," she said, and he could hear the tears in her voice.

"No," he said angrily. "There's no way they're dead. They can't be dead," he said, his voice rising with every word. "They can't be!"

He whirled around and marched back across the wreckage to Antonin Dolohov. "Loquius," he spat, pointing his wand at the Death Eater.

"Let me up, you son of a-"

"Shut it now," Ron snapped, coming up behind Harry. "Tell us where my sister is."

"What, the red-haired slut? I don't know, we've been trying to find her all week!" Dolohov spat. "We were supposed to check out this place but they didn't find anything so they destroyed it."

"Who?" Harry asked.

"That's classified information," Dolohov spat.

"It doesn't matter, Harry," Hermione said, coming up behind him. "That's all we need to know. They don't have her."

"Then where is she, Hermione?" Harry asked, rounding on her. "What happened to her and James?"

"How do we know you're not lying?" Ron asked, staring at Dolohov suspiciously.

"Figured that out, have you?" he asked, smirking at them all. "I guess you can't tell, can you? That's unfortunate for you."

"Listen, you git," Harry snapped, his every syllable trembling with rage. "You will tell me where my wife and son are or so help me-"

"Now, Harry, I never saw you as the kind to go making threats."

The mild voice that Harry knew so well came from the front garden, and when he looked up, sure enough, Remus Lupin was standing there watching the scene play out.

"Remus!" Hermione gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been coming here every day," he replied. "I've had a watch on the house since you left it and Miss Weasley behind. Or, I guess she's Mrs. Potter, now," he said thoughtfully.

"Where is she, Remus?" Harry asked, jumping over Dolohov and running up to Lupin. "Is she safe? What about James? Are they okay? Where are they?"

"They are in a location that shall, for the time being, remain classified," Lupin said, his eyes cutting to Dolohov. "I suggest you finish up with this man and then we can go to her."

"Right, right," Harry said, turning around. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. Ginny and James were alive and safe, and that was all that mattered. He put his thoughts of them to the back of his mind and turned back to Dolohov.

"Let's just get this over with."

* * *

Ginny had just finished feeding James and was walking around the nursery upstairs, humming softly and trying to get him to burp when she heard it.

A loud _POP _that could only mean one thing-Lupin was back from Grimmauld Place for the day. Ginny turned and headed for the door, just on the off chance that there would be news today. Lupin had been going every day since finding Ginny and James there, and so far, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and/or Kingsley had yet to return. The constant "no's" every day made Ginny feel more than a little hurt and abandoned, but she hadn't had much time to dwell on it, what with James taking up almost every waking moment.

She heard the sound of a table being knocked over downstairs and a muffled oath. She rolled her eyes and the corners of her lips perked up. Tonks, ever clumsy and eager, had probably knocked something over in her excitement to get to Lupin.

Still humming, Ginny walked around the corner into the living room and gasped. There, in the middle of the living room, rubbing his hip and apologizing profusely to Lupin, was Ron. And behind him, just coming in the door, was Hermione. Which meant-

"Ginny! James!" Harry exclaimed, his eyes landing on them as soon as he walked through the door.

"Harry!" Ginny gasped, forgetting about James for a second as she lunged across the room toward him.

They met in the middle, and Harry's lips crashed into hers, his hands coming up to cradle her face and gently stroke her cheeks. He'd grown a slight stubble since the last time she'd seen him, and it scratched Ginny's cheeks as she kissed him. His lips were slightly chapped, but urgent against her own, and she kissed him back fiercely. He was safe, he was _here_, he was back-it was all too much to take in.

Harry pulled away and embraced her as tightly as he could without crushing James. "I thought you were dead," he murmured. "When we went back to Grimmauld Place and found the house destroyed-"

"Wait, _what_?" Ginny asked, pushing away from him. "The house was _destroyed_? What happened to it?"

"I believe the credit for that act can be given to those lovely Death Eaters we met on our way out, Ginny," Lupin said calmly.

"_Death Eaters_?" Harry asked. "You told me nothing happened to her!"

"Nothing did, Harry," Ginny sighed. "Lupin showed up just after you lot Apparated away, and then the Death Eaters came just after he did. They couldn't see me, so they didn't shoot at me or James, but yes, Lupin and I had to walk through them to get out of the house."

"Merlin's pants," Harry muttered. "I should've been there."

"Don't beat yourself up about it," Ginny replied. "Clearly, we're fine."

Right on cue, James let out a loud belch, startling everyone in the room for a second before the laughter began. Harry gently lifted his son from Ginny's arms and cuddled him tightly while Ginny said hello to Ron and Hermione.

Eventually, however, they all settled down on the couch and told their respective stories. Harry held James and kept his arm around Ginny the entire time, and though she acted annoyed, secretly, she was glad to finally have him back-he was a warm, sold, dependable presence in a time where everything changed by the day.

Later that night, as they were settling James in for bed, Ginny kept catching Harry staring at her. It wasn't until after they finally settled him down and crawled into bed themselves that she asked him why.

"Because I haven't seen you in entirely too long and I love you," he replied, kissing her on the forehead. "And because I thought you were dead not five hours ago. To actually have you safe...to know I wasn't responsible for the death of another person...it's a great feeling."

"You were never responsible for any deaths, Harry," Ginny said sternly. "But I missed you, too." She reached up and pulled his head down to hers for a long, lingering, gentle kiss before lying back down, her head on his chest. They were almost asleep when Ginny spoke again.

"By the way, I've been getting up with James for three nights in a row now, so don't expect me to get up _at all_ tonight unless he needs fed."

Harry chuckled sleepily. "Alright, love."

"You see, Harry, that's only funny because you think I'm joking."

And indeed, when Harry got up five times during the night (at 10, 1, 2:30, 3, and 5:20 am), he did not find Ginny's comment at all to be funny.

**No, I'm sure he didn't. **

**Well, anyways, I hope everyone liked this. I'm kind of nervous about taking on this, especially because the story was so well-loved, so please tell me what you thought, and any suggestions you have. Reviews will motivate me to get the next chapter(s) up faster!**

**Lovelovelove -D-**


	2. On The Road Again (Ch 7)

**Hey guys! WOW! I got such an awesome response to the last chapter! I'm glad you liked it, that really made me pretty happy :) Thanks so much to all who reviewed, I hope you like this one! To anyone who's new or somehow missed it the last chapter, this is a CONTINUATION of CaseyLove's original story, which can be found on her profile. It is a requirement that you read The Unexpected Heir and her beginning of The Unexpected Heir Part 2 before you read this. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: Idea belongs to CaseyLove, characters and anything you recognize is JKR's :)**

**Chapter 7: On The Road Again**

A week of safety and serenity passed after Harry, Ron, and Hermione were reunited with Ginny and James. Harry spent nearly every waking moment playing with James, which Ginny found to be absolutely adorable. Lupin, Ron, and Harry would sit and discuss the Daily Prophet at night after James had been put to bed, and more often than not the women would often join them. The news, though growing steadily darker, had no effect on the cheer that seemed to emit from every wall of the house.

Right up until the Thursday after Harry, Ron, and Hermione had returned.

It had started off as a normal enough day. James had woken Ginny up at around 6:30, and she'd fed him and then headed downstairs for the day. Tonks, who was currently getting the "nesting urge" that Ginny herself had experienced, was up as usual, and was making tea when Ginny entered the kitchen with James.

"Wotcher, Ginny," she said cheerfully. "And how's my little nephew today?"

"Wide awake," Ginny replied, stifling a yawn. "As usual."

Tonks grinned. "Sounds about right for him."

Ginny agreed, and sat down just as the kettle whistled. Tonks hurried over to prepare it, and the two women sat quietly in the early morning peace.

Eventually, the sounds of everyone else stirring could be heard from upstairs, and soon enough, Harry, Lupin, and Hermione came stumbling into the kitchen.

"Good morning," Lupin said tiredly, rubbing his eyes and kissing Tonks' cheek gently. "Sleep alright?"

"I did," Tonks beamed. "I was up at 5:30 moving everything around in the living room. I think the furniture looks much better now."

"If you say so, dear," Lupin said, slightly bemusedly.

"Morning, Harry," Ginny said as he slid into the spot next to her. "Did you ever go to sleep last night?"

"No," he admitted. He and Lupin had sat up rather late talking about the sudden increase of Muggle attacks by the Death Eaters. It was a subject that was rather sore for Hermione, and Harry and Lupin had waited until she had gone to bed to discuss it. As a result, they had been up past midnight talking.

Ginny knew all of this and gave him a sympathetic smile, then dumped James on his lap. "Here, have a baby to cheer you up."

Harry smirked at her, but cradled James in his arms closely and cooed to him. Ginny watched him, thinking that he was absolutely adorable when he played with James. It was one of the reasons she hadn't tried to spend more time with her son over the past week.

"I made some porridge!" Tonks announced proudly. "And it's not burnt, sticky, runny, or bland. Well, it's not exaclty tasty, but I have cinnamon and some other spices over here for you to add to it!"

"Did someone say porridge?" Ron asked sleepily, entering the room and plopping down at a chair. "Hermione, can you get me some?"

"No," Hermione replied loftily. "You may get it yourself."

"Come on, Hermione, I'm tired!"

"You wouldn't be so tired if you'd gone to bed last night instead of choosing to sit and eat your Christmas candy from last year," Hermione replied sternly, ladeling herself some porridge, "so therefore, I do not feel sorry for you."

"Ginny?" Ron asked, glancing in her direction. She simply gave him a look and he sighed. "Fine." He heaved himself out of his chair and headed for the large bowl of porridge on the counter. "But I'll remember this the next time you-"

He never finished his sentence, for at that exact moment, a loud crash sounded from outside. Instantly, everyone was on their feet.

"What was that?"

"I don't know!"

"Go look!"

"I'll go!"

"No, you stay here, _I'm _going!"

"I am perfectly capable of-"

"Stop it!" Lupin yelled, and everyone quieted down instantly. "All of you be as quiet as you can, and _I _will go look and see what's wrong."

No one argued, and he quickly slipped out of the door and headed down to the front window. James fussed quietly and Harry rocked him back and forth to try and comfort him. He'd just stopped fussing when Lupin returned, his face pale.

"Death Eaters," he said quietly. "I don't think they know we're here, but they're attacking the Muggles on either side of the house and across the street. A few of them are pointing at the empty space here. I don't know if they-"

A huge _BOOM _shook the house, and Hermione ran out of the kitchen. James started to cry again, and in the surrounding clamour, Lupin had to shout to be heard.

"Everyone, get out! Go! Now! Get to a safe location and _don't contact us_! GO!" Another loud _BOOM _resounded, as if to emphasize his statement. Harry reached over for Ginny and grabbed her hand.

"Hold on, and don't let go this time!" he said to her. Ginny tightened her grip on his hand and looked around for Ron.

"Come on, you idiot!" she yelled at him, seeing him by the door. "We have to go!"

"But Hermione went upstairs!" he yelled back. "We can't leave without her!"

"She'll come back, Ron! Come on, we've got to get out of here!" Ginny yelled, but her words were drowned out by the two more successive loud _BOOM_s. James was crying for real now, and dust was starting to fall from the ceiling. The Death Eaters surely knew by now that they had found a Wizarding house, and they were attacking the protective enchantments Lupin and Tonks had in place.

"HERMIONE!" Ron yelled. "HURRY, WE'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE!"

"James, shh, James, calm down, it's okay," Ginny said, reaching over to gently stroke her son's cheek. His little face was bright red, and he was screaming and wailing as though he was being tortured. Harry gently rocked him from side to side, but the continuous _BOOM_s were doing nothing to calm him.

Finally, Hermione appeared in the kitchen doorway and grabbed Ron's hand. The two of them ran to Harry, Ginny, and James. Ginny grabbed Hermione's hand, redoubled her grip on Harry's, and felt the world disappear as they left Lupin and Tonks' for good.

When the crushing darkness had lifted, Ginny found herself lying on a forest floor next to Harry. James was still screaming, and Harry was already sitting up and cuddling him. Ginny sat up and took him from Harry.

"Hey, hey, shh, it's okay, James, shh," she whispered, holding him close to her. She bounced him gently up and down, just the way she knew he liked it, but it did nothing to stop his crying.

"Harry!" Hermione called from somewhere to their right. "Harry get over here now! I need help!"

Ginny and Harry turned as one to see Hermione kneeling a few feet away over Ron. She was fussing with his sleeve, and he was twitching, making strange gulping noises.

"What happened to him?" Harry called, already screambling to his feet. Ginny followed, still trying to calm James.

"He got Splinched," Hermione said, tears in her voice. "I-I don't know why-he must not have been fully focused on the Apparition-Harry, get the dittany out of my bag!"

Ginny took a few more steps forward and gasped. Ron's upper left arm was torn away, revealing the flesh and bone underneath it. The blood was redder than Ginny had ever thought possible, and soaking his sleep shirt and the ground around him.

"Hermione, where is the stupid dittany?" Harry asked, rummaging around a small beaded bag in frustration.

"It's in-"

"_Accio Dittany,_" Ginny said, whipping out her wand and pointing it at the bag. It flew out and almost hit Harry on the forehead. "It's right there."

Ignoring her remark, he scooted over to Hermione and handed it to her. She tried three times to pull out the stopper but had to have Harry do it because her hands were shaking. When he had opened it, she poured three drops onto Ron's shoulder. He flinched and yelled each time, which didn't help James.

"Come on, James, calm down," Ginny said softly, walking around in a circle bouncing him. "Shush now, we're alright. Come on, James, just be quiet!"

He continued crying to no avail. Ginny, feeling embarrassed and humiliated and angry that she couldn't even get her own baby to stop crying, continued to try to calm him, her voice rising, until finally, she marched over to Harry.

"Here! Take him! He obviously likes you better because I can't get him to shut up!" she half-yelled. Never before in her life had she felt so ashamed.

"Ginny," Hermione began, looking up from Ron (who had finally quieted down), "it's okay."

"No, it is bloody not okay!" Ginny said, feeling hot tears prick her eyes. "He never stops crying recently, it's always something, and I can't even comfort my own child! I'm a horrible mother!"

"No, you're not," Harry said.

"_Accio Soother_," Hermione said, and a small item flew out of her small beaded bag and into Harry's hand. "Try that, Harry, I loved those as a child."

"Oh, yeah, these things!" Harry said, and put the small, rubbery-looking end into James' mouth. The baby was so surprised he stopped crying and stared at his father. Slowly, he began to gently suck at the thing until, finally, he settled down peacefully into Harry's arms.

A full minute of silence passed before Ginny finally spoke.

"What the hell is that and why didn't I have one before now?"

Hermione laughed. "It's a soother. Babies suck on the rubbery end and it calms them down. I packed it before I left my parents' house, but I never got the chance to give it to you."

Ginny sighed. "Well, at least we have it now." She looked around at the trees and leaves surrounding them. "Where are we?"

"The woods where they held the Quidditch World Cup," Hermione replied. "It was the first place that popped into my head. I have everything we need for camping in my bag, but I don't have any food...I figured we could put up some protective enchantments."

"That sounds like a great idea," Ginny said, standing up, wand in hand. "I'll get on that and you can put up the tent." She strode off about twenty feet, then raised her wand and cast a few spells. She moved a few feet to the left and began casting spells there, too, slowly making a large circle around the campsite while Hermione worked on setting up the tent.

Ginny had just finished with the spells when she heard the crunch of a twig behind her and turned.

"Sorry," Harry said. "I wasn't trying to startle you."

"It's alright," she said, stowing her wand away in her pocket. "I'm sorry for flipping out on you back there. It's just...I feel like James is _really clingy_ around me, but he's also crying all the time...this parenting thing is just so hard!"

"I know," Harry replied, "and I'm sorry-so sorry-that I wasn't here the past couple days. Tonks told me it was pretty hard for you. We're just so young, Ginny, and...I love James to death, but I do wish he'd come a couple years later."

"I know," Ginny sighed. "We should have used protection."

Harry shrugged. "Well, maybe, but I can honestly say I'd rather have you on this mission with me than not."

Ginny rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same. "Baby or not, you'd have been hard-pressed to stop me from coming."

Harry just laughed. "Yeah, I know. You can be kind of pig-headed about some things."

"Pig-headed?" Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Harry nodded. "Well, Mr. Potter, I _really_ don't think you should have said that."

"I'm going to pay for this in some subtle way later, aren't I?" he asked, shifting James to his shoulder.

"It's not going to be all that subtle," Ginny replied, smirking at him. She had just leaned in to kiss him when Hermione called to them.

"Hey, can one of you two come help me get Ron in the tent?"

"I'm coming!" Harry called. "Here." He handed James to Ginny and kissed her forehead gently before hurrying over to help Hermione lift Ron into the tent.

Once the three of them had disappeared into the tent, Ginny looked down at James and was surprised to find his big brown eyes looking back up at her.

"Hey, there, buddy," she said, sighing. "I'm sorry I freaked out on you. Like I told your dad, it's just really, really hard to be sixteen and taking care of a little human being. Like, what if I break you? I mean, for all I know, you'll get to be my age and we'll fight all the time."

James gurgled and Ginny sighed. "I guess there's no point in worrying about that right now, is there? I mean, you're like two weeks old. I don't even want to think about you at sixteen. But don't you even think about getting a girl pregnant, okay?"

James stared at her very solemnly, and even though he was a baby, Ginny got the feeling he was listening to her-maybe not understanding her words, but hearing her voice.

"Okay then," she said, then tickled him gently. "I guess we should head inside, huh? They'll probably be wondering what I'm doing with you."

Right on cue, Harry stuck his head out of the tent, looking for them. "Come on in, Ginny, check it out!"

"Coming!" she called back. "What did I tell you?" she murmured to James as she walked. "Your dad's a bit of a worrywart."

"Hey!" he objected, close enough to hear her. She smirked.

"We make quite the couple, huh? You're a worrywart and I'm pig-headed. Wonder how James'll like that when he's older."

"Isn't it usually the opposite?" Harry asked. "Aren't you supposed to be the one all worried about the kid?"

"Don't you pull gender stereotypes on me," she retorted.

"Sorry."

"Whatever."

And then he leaned down to kiss her, soft and sweet, and when he finally pulled away and slung an arm over her shoulder, he informed her that he wouldn't have it any other way.

**Bit of Harry/Ginny at the end for you :) Hope everyone liked it! Please take the time to leave me a review, they give me incentive (and make me happy :)!**

**Lovelovelove -D-**


	3. Planning & Previews (Ch 8)

**Thanks again for the totally awesome response last chapter! I hope you guys enjoy this one :)**

**Disclaimer: Idea is CaseyLove's, anything you recognize (characters, settings, events) is JKRs**

**Chapter 8: Previews & Planning**

Once inside, Ginny realized that the tent, though large, was going to seem slightly small with four people and a baby living in it. It was nearly identical to the one the boys had shared at the Quidditch World Cup, with a kitchen, table and chairs, two sofas, a bathroom, and two sets of bunk beds. However, this one also had a cradle where James would sleep ,and was already scattered with baby toys from Hermione's beaded bag.

"Wow," Ginny said, trying not to be upset at the lack of space, "this is pretty nice." No one said anything, but Ginny was hardly paying attention-she was silently bemoaning the fact that there would be almost no privacy, which meant no sex.

"I have some tea bags," Hermione finally said. "Why don't I brew those and we can sit and talk about what to do?"

Harry and Ginny thought this was a great idea, so while Hermione brewed up the tea, Ginny fed James and Harry changed his nappy. They had just settled him into his cradle when Hermione brought the tea over to the sofa they were sitting on.

"It's Earl Grey. Sorry, Ginny, I know that's not your favorite."

"I'll survive," Ginny said, smiling. Hermione gave her a small smile in return, then settled herself on the sofa across from them. For a moment, no one spoke, then Ron moaned. Hermione set down her tea and hurried over to him.

"How are you feeling?"

"Not bloody wonderful," Ron replied, and Ginny could hear the strain in his voice. "What happened?"

"You got Splinched when we Apparated away from Lupin and Tonks' place," Hermione explained. "I put essence of dittany on it, and it's not completely healed, but you're in a lot better shape."

"Do you have anything for pain?" Ron asked.

"Well, not available," Hermione said. "I could mix up a pain draught, if you'd like-"

"Please do," Ron said, laying his head back down on his pillow. "Oh, hey, you two. James okay?"

"He's fine," Ginny replied, leaning over to glance in the cradle. "Sleeping, actually, thank Merlin. Hopefully he'll sleep for a bit."

Hermione had returned to the floor in front of the two sofas and was digging through her bag. "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot," she said in a somewhat shocked voice. "I got this from Umbridge at the Ministry." She tossed a heavy gold locket on the floor at Ginny's feet.

"What is it?" she asked, leaning over to pick it up.

"A Horcrux," Harry said quietly, and Ginny dropped it like it had burned her.

"Oh," she said. All of a sudden, the temperature of the room seemed to have dropped ten degrees. She remembered all too well Tom Riddle's diary from her first year at Hogwarts, how the thing had taken her over and forced her to release the Basilisk. She remembered how he had forced her to go down to the chamber and await her death, and she _definitely _remembered the hours leading up to her losing conciousness. To this day, she had never felt so scared and alone as she had that year.

An urge to fling the thing across the room overtook her. She controlled herself and asked timidly, "Um...is it safe to touch?"

"Yes," Hermione replied. "The only reason the diary controlled you is because you got so close to it emotionally. Physical contact won't have the same effect."

"All the same," Ginny said, looking at it warily. Harry leaned over, picked it up, and flung it back at Hermione.

"So we got it," Ron said weakly. "Now what do we do with it?"

"We try to destroy it," Harry said, and Ron gave a snort.

"No kidding. But how do we do that?" he asked. Both boys looked at Hermione.

"What?" she asked, glancing up from studying the locket.

"Well, you're the expert on Horcruxes here, we figured you'd know how to destroy it," Ron said. "You and that bloody book of yours."

"I already told you-to destroy the Horcrux, you have to destroy it's home. We have to figure out a way to mangle the locket beyond magical repair. There are few things in this world that can do such things. Basilisk venom is the most common way."

"The most common way?" Ginny asked. "Do people regularly destroy Horcruxes or something?"

"No," Hermione replied. "This is only based off of the little we do know about them. I think, in the entire history of magic, that there have only been about eight Horcruxes ever created, not counting Vol-"

"Please don't say his name!" Ron objected. "I mean, come on, just-just don't say it!"

"Fine!" Hermione exclaimed. "Not counting _You-Know-Who_'s Horcruxes! Better?"

"No," Ron grumbled. "Is my tea done?"

The kettle whistled at that very moment, cutting off Ginny's scathing remark. Hermione, though glaring daggers at Ron, did get up and prepare him a cup of tea. She slammed it down in front of him, causing a bit of the hot water to spill over the edge. Ron yelped, but Hermione ignored him and sat back down in front of Harry and Ginny.

"So," she continued, as though nothing had happened, "I would say it's going to be very hard to destroy that thing."

"D'you think if we opened it, it would help?" Harry asked thoughtfully. "I mean, it might, it might not, who knows?"

"It might..." Hermione said slowly. "Nothing happened when we opened the diary until we wrote in it. I would guess the locket is the same way. If we could figure out what makes it open, that might help us, yes."

"Let me see it," Harry requested, and Hermione passed him the locket. He ran his fingers over it, looking for a button or something, tried to pull it apart, and failed. He pulled out his wand and tried to open it magically, but still, nothing happened. Frustrated, he held it out to Ginny.

She slowly reached out her hand and took it. The cold metal rested in her palm, glistening innocently in the lamplight. Nothing happened-she didn't feel any different. Cautiously, she ran her fingers along the crack like Harry had, but found nothing.

Suddenly, a sense of revulsion filled her and she flung the locket away, resisting the urge to gag.

"Ginny?" Harry asked. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she replied, getting up and walking away towards the bathroom, trying not to let any of them see the tears in her eyes.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked, and she could hear him getting up to follow her.

"Yes, Harry, I'm fine," she retorted, giving a bit of an edge to her voice as she slammed the bathroom door behind her. She leaned against it and took two deep breaths. It was fine, she told herself, there was nothing wrong with her. The locket hadn't taken her over. She was herself.

Angrily, Ginny turned on the water and began to wash her face, not really knowing why. She supposed she was angry with herself for being so afraid of a piece of jewelry, and maybe a little ashamed that she hadn't gotten over something that happened when she was _eleven_, for Merlin's sake. She dried her face off in the towel and stared at her face in the mirror.

It was still her face, still the same red hair and round nose and freckles that she'd grown up with all her life. But something about her eyes was different now. Her eyes looked...almost older, more mature in a way that scared her. She supposed a lot _had _happened to her in the past year-she'd had a child, gotten married, been tortured, and had embarked on a dangerous quest with three other teenagers. It was enough to change anyone.

And yet, she was still the scared eleven year old who needed her friend Tom, and confided everything to him, the same girl who'd been played like a fool by him. The girl who was so haunted by the memories that she couldn't even hold a fucking piece of jewelry.

A knock on the door scared her so badly she let out a small screech, then mentally cursed herself. "Who is it?" she called.

"It's Harry," he said, his voice gentle. "Ginny, please let me in."

She sighed and turned the lock so he could come in, then sat down uncertainly on the toilet lid. He squeezed into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. There was so little room, her face was almost in his stomach.

"Hey, love," he said softly. "C'mere."

And that was all it took for the tears she'd been fighting to spill over. She stood up and buried her face in his chest and let him hold her. He murmured soothingly in her ear and rubbed her back and let her ruin his shirt like any good husband would.

"I'm s-sorry," she said finally, pulling away.

"Don't be sorry," he said. "I've had Vol-You-Know-Who in my head before, too, I know how it feels. I shouldn't have expected you to deal with that Horcrux, I'm the one who should be sorry."

"I have to get over this fear at some point," Ginny objected. "I'm being stupid, holding on to that ridiculous memory-I was _eleven_, I should be over this!"

"Ginny, that kind of experience is going to stick with you for the rest of your life, and there's nothing you can do about that. It...it's not something that goes away," he said, and she knew he understood. "Things like that...they're always going to haunt you at night, you're always going to see them in the shadows. You can't get rid of it, it's a part of you. You just have to learn to deal with it, or find the person who can help you through all that, because no, it's not something you can do on your own."

Ginny didn't say anything for a moment, simply wrapped her arms around Harry and put her head on his shoulder. She let her mind go blank of all thoughts of Horcruxes and Voldemort and simply let him hold her, enjoyed his warmth, the way his body felt pressed against hers. For just that moment, she let herself be a teenager, standing with the person she loved most in the entire world, and let herself be comforted by him.

"Thanks," she finally said into his shoulder. "I love you."

"I love you too," he whispered, then kissed her once, twice, three, four times, and lead her out of the bathroom.

* * *

That night was a long one for them all. James was extremely restless, which affected all of them, as they were in such a small tent. Ron couldn't sleep in his usual position because of his arm, and his shouts of pain rang out regularly through the tent, and Ginny woke everybody up screaming more than once.

All in all, the dull, gray morning that greeted them represented their mood exactly. Everyone was tired, crabby, and hungry, and to make matters worse, Harry had decided that in order to keep the locket safe, he would wear it around his neck, which in turn made Ginny avoid him like the plague.

They moved their camp that day, to a spot just outside a town, and Hermione hurried off to buy some groceries. She had come back with only a few bags, out of breath and looking scared out of her mind.

"Dementors," she panted. "We have to get out of here."

So they did, moving instead to a deserted moor for the rest of the day. Harry turned crabby and started yelling at everyone until Hermione finally realized the Horcrux was affecting his mood and decided they should wear it in turns. James spent most of the day fussing, due to the weather, and Ginny did her best to be patient with him. It wasn't until nightfall that anything happened at all.

"Ouch!" Harry yelled, slamming his palm into his forehead.

"What?" Ginny asked, looking up from James. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm-I'm fine," he replied. "I just...need some air." He strode out of the tent, and they could hear his footsteps crunching off into the distance. Eventually, they stopped, and Ginny guessed he had sat down.

"Needs some air, ha," Ron grumbled. "We all know he saw something."

Hermione sighed in frustration and set her mug down with a loud _THUNK_. "He's got to stop doing that," she said. "Dumbledore wanted him to keep You-Know-Who out, and he was right. Harry's just too stubborn to see that."

"I dunno, Hermione," Ginny said slowly. "I mean, it's come in useful before, hasn't it?"

"And it also got Sirius killed and the rest of us in huge danger!" Hermione retorted. "Tell me, Ginny, how is that _good_?"

"Well, for starters, it also got the Ministry to finally pull their heads out of their arses and realize You-Know-Who was back, and as I recall it also kept the prophecy out of his hands!"

"At the cost of Sirius' life," Hermione said softly. "It wasn't worth it."

Ginny couldn't argue with her. Instead, she leaned down and scooped up James, preparing to feed him. She was just finishing up when Harry finally came stumping back in.

"He killed Gregorovitch," he said softly before Hermione could say anything. "He went to his shop, and interrogated him, and Gregorovitch told him everything he wanted, but he killed him anyway."

"You shouldn't have let him in," Hermione said. "You _know _Dumbledore wanted-"

"Well Dumbledore isn't here right now, Hermione!" Harry snapped. "And you know I try, I just can't seem to figure it out!"

"If you actually put some effort into your Occlumency, then maybe-"

"Do you think I like having him in my head?" Harry was yelling now. "Well, let me tell you, I don't, but until we defeat him or I learn this stupid concept, I'm going to deal with it and use the information against him!"

James, scared by all the yelling, started to cry. Ginny stood up and got him his soother, then slowly rocked him until he'd calmed down.

"Sorry," Harry muttered to her. "Forgot he doesn't like loud noises." He accepted James from Ginny and began to walk around the tent with him in an effort to get him to fall asleep.

"I'll take the first watch," Hermione said, her voice chilly. Harry looked up at her as she left the tent, but no one followed her. They could see the light of her wand as she settled down on the forest floor and stared stonily out into the night.

There was a long silence until Ron finally spoke. "Why'd he want Gregorovitch, mate?"

"I dunno," Harry replied. "He wasn't looking for a new wand, because he killed him right afterwards."

"What did he want from Gregorovitch?" Ginny asked, sitting down on the couch.

"He looked into his mind for a memory," Harry replied, sitting next to her. "The memory was of a young bloke, and the bloke stole something from him, something important. I...the bloke looks familiar to me, but I can't for the life of me remember where I've seen him before."

A silence followed Harry's words as they all thought about it.

"Well, I definitely wouldn't want to be him," Ron said, and they heard the shifting of his blankets as he rolled over. "Poor bloke."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, a small smile creeping onto his face as he stared down at James.

"Well, night," Ron said, yawning.

"Night," Harry and Ginny replied. Ginny leaned into Harry and gave her son a smile. He wrapped one arm around her and they spent a few moments like that, reveling in each other's warmth and comfort, glad that neither of them were wearing the locket. It would be Ginny's turn tomorrow, and though she despised the locket with all of her being, she didn't want Harry, Ron, and Hermione to have to wear it alone.

"You'll be okay," he murmured to her, somehow reading her thoughts."It just makes you crabby."

"Because he's getting inside you, Harry," Ginny reminded him. "But I don't want to talk about it tonight."

"Okay," he replied, kissing her forehead gently. They sat in silence a little while longer until James' eyelids finally fluttered shut. Harry got up and laid him in his crib, then returned to Ginny. He laid down on the couch, all the way stretched out, and pulled her down next to him. Well, more like on top of him-the couch was too small for two people to lay side-by-side.

Ginny's head was right over his heart, and she could hear the steady beating there. It comforted her, and she was just closing her eyes when Harry spoke again.

"I just wish I could figure out what it was. That the thief stole, I mean. It was obviously important to him."

"Do you think it'd give us an advantage over him?" Ginny asked.

"Maybe. If he wants it badly enough."

"Well, it's probably dangerous, deadly, or both," Ginny pointed out, "so I don't know if it'd be a good idea to carry it around with us."

"We're already carrying a Horcrux around with us," Harry pointed out. "How much more of a dangerous object can we get?" He chuckled, and Ginny let out a small giggle as well, despite the fact that it wasn't at all funny. Sometimes, when there was nothing more for it, laughter lightened any situation.

"We should be getting to sleep," Ginny said finally. "We'll be up with James at least six times tonight."

"Six? That's ridiculous. I'm thinking closer to ten."

"Want to bet on that, Potter?" she teased, tilting her face up to see his expression.

"Sure. Five Sickles on more than ten times," he said, a smile she hadn't seen in awhile on his face.

"You're on," Ginny said, and they shook on it. "And you are so going to lose."

"If you say so, dear," he said, smirking at her. She leaned up and kissed him, just to shut him up, but he responded, and soon she was entirely on top of him and his hands were creeping up under her shirt and hers at the buttons of his.

"We can't do this," she whispered as he kissed up and down her neck. "Hermione's outside and Ron's on the other side of the tent."

He sighed and kissed her again. "I know. This tent really needs more space."

Ginny let out a breathless laugh, then slid halfway off of him and nestled her head on his shoulder, both of them breathing hard.

"Goodnight," he said, stroking her hair.

"Goodnight," she replied, and they both drifted off to the most peaceful sleep either of them had had in a long time.

**;) Obviously they can't get up to too much in that tent...partially the reason I'm making it so small...hehe. Anyways, hope you enjoyed it, please leave a review!**

**Lovelovelove -D-**


	4. The Goblins (Ch 9)

**Hello, everybody! Didn't get such a big response on the last chapter-am I still doing okay? I hope so, I really like writing this :) Anyways, I'm probably not going to be able to update next week because I have family and I'm heading off to a wedding later today, but I figured I'd get this up before I left. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: Not JK Rowling, don't own/make money off of any of this. Also, idea belongs to CaseyLove, and you MUST read her version of the story first before you read this.**

**Chapter 9: The Goblins**

As it turned out, neither of them won the bet, for the bet was entirely forgotten in the middle of the night.

Hermione, who had been out on the watch for nearly three hours and was finally considering going to bed, came rushing into the tent quite suddenly.

"Ginny! Harry! Ron! Get up! Get up _now!_" she said. Ginny sat up immediately, but neither Ron nor Harry flinched.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Ginny asked, rubbing her eyes.

"I think there's Death Eaters out there!" she said, and Ginny could read the fear in her eyes.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Ginny asked, already squirming her way free from Harry. Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but hesitated.

"About 98% sure, I guess."

"Let's go take a look, then, before we wake everyone up," Ginny suggested. Hermione nodded and the two girls made their way out of the tent into the cold night air. Their breath steamed in the air, and Ginny hoped with all her heart that the protective enchantments were working.

"Over here," Hermione whispered. Ginny followed her a few feet to the left of the campsite. "I mean...they really look like bad news at least, if not Death Eaters."

And Ginny had to agree. The four men were shrouded in black cloaks that blended almost perfectly into the shadows. Their faces were too deep in the cowls of their hoods to be seen properly, but their voices were low, sounding like hisses. Each man had his wand clutched in his fist, but they seemed to be mostly at peace.

"Let's see if we can hear them," Ginny said softly. Hermione shook her head vigorously, but Ginny moved forward, to the point where she knew she was pushing their protective spells. She could just hear their voices.

"...and Thicknesse has somehow started to fight the Imperius Curse. We ought to replace him."

"Have to clear it with him though, first, and he won't like that unless you have evidence. Do you, perchance?"

"No, sir."

"I thought not." The Death Eater with his back to Ginny curled the hand that was not clutching his wand into a fist. "You ignorant fools are simply reporting from others. I'll need to talk to someone...ah..._higher up_ to get reliable information."

"Be careful, Malfoy," one of the cloaked figures warned. His voice was cocky and arrogant, that of one too used to given authority. "We bring you 'alf the people you've caught. We can easily transfer our business elsewhere."

"Yes, because we've simply got no other Snatchers we can utilize," the man that Ginny knew to be Lucius Malfoy snapped. "Stop with the empty threats. Have you any other disloyalties to report?"

"No, sir. Only Dolohov's been acting strange, but we've already told you that."

"Indeed you have. And the boy?"

"No sign of 'im," the man with the arrogant voice said, and Ginny detected a hint of anger in his tone. "We've been up and down the 'ole country, haven't seen hide nor 'air of 'im. 'e's hiding out somewhere, I tell you what. Probably with his little slut, too."

"Yes, we've already determined that Potter's hiding," Lucius Malfoy said, impatience in his every syllable. "It is your job to find him, or any of the people he's traveling with!"

"And I'm telling you, we can't find 'im!"

"Have you checked with the girl's family? He's married to her, for goodness sake, they must have _some _idea of where their daughter is? Or perhaps their son? It's been assumed he's traveling with them."

"The son's at home, he's sick."

"And the girl?"

"They say she's sick, too."

"Have you seen her?"

"Well...no," the man with the cocky voice admitted. "But we're going to be checking the 'Ogwarts Express for all of 'em in a few days. Then we'll know for sure. If they aren't on there, we'll have people on the family faster 'n a Seeker catches a Snitch. One way or another, we'll know by the end of the week."

"Very well," Lucius Malfoy said. "And you have your orders regarding each of them?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then you may go."

Three of the cloaked men bowed, then grasped each other's hands and Disapparated with a _POP_. A few seconds after they had, Lucius Malfoy did the same. Ginny turned to face Hermione, and for a moment, neither of them said anything.

"So they're looking for us," Ginny finally said, blowing out her breath. "That's nothing new."

"No...but your family's in danger and they're having loyalty problems among their ranks," Hermione said thoughtfully. "That's interesting. I wonder why."

"Because everyone's trying to cover their own arse," Ginny said, "so that they can survive when You-Know-Who falls again."

"Probably," Hermione said. "But we shouldn't linger here all the same. Let's get the boys up."

Ginny sighed. "And to think, James hadn't even woken up once tonight before this..."

* * *

They moved camp that day. And the next day. And the day after that. They moved almost every night, because it simply wasn't safe to stay in one area for longer than 24 hours. Deserted moors, woods, meadows, cliff sides, even beaches began to all blur together as the group continued to move. It was hard and taxing on all of them, for they couldn't always find food and they needed to keep Ginny and James, in particular, well-fed. It was essential that they keep James, at least, well-fed, because he was entering the crucial state during which all babies grow and eat a lot.

In addition, there was the locket to contend with. The four teenagers passed it around every 12 hours, each of them dreading it but putting up with it as best they could. It made them all short-tempered and irritable, and it had come to the point where if Ginny had the Horcrux, Harry would care for James for 24 hours (12 for the locket and 12 for recovery), and if Harry had the locket, Ginny would do the same. It wasn't easy, though, and all four of them fought often. It got to the point that one night, no one spoke to each other because they were all so angry.

And so it was in this rather depressing situation, about two weeks after the night no one spoke to each other, that things finally started to happen again.

It was just after their (measly) dinner, and Harry and Ginny were laying on the floor with James. Ginny was reading aloud to him, and Harry was amusing himself with one of James' many toys. The toy made a loud snapping sound every time he messed with it, and while he was amused by it (and so were James, Ginny, and Hermione), Ron (who had the locket on) was rather irritated by it.

So around the seventh time Harry made it snap, Ron sat up very suddenly.

"Would you stop that?"

"What?" Harry asked, nonplussed, looking up from the carpet.

"Playing with that bloody toy. It's driving me mad," Ron complained.

"Sorry," Harry muttered. "Just trying to amuse my son." Ron rolled his eyes but said nothing. Ginny slowly put away the book James hadn't been paying attention to and sat up. She could sense something was wrong with Ron-he was more irritated than he should have been, even with the locket on.

Before she could say anything, however, James fussed and Harry, while attempting to sit up, accidentally snapped the toy again. James cooed in delight, but Ron was furious.

"I just asked you not to do that!"

"I bumped it accidentally, mate, chill out," Harry said, a tightness in his voice that Ginny knew meant bad things. Harry leaned over and scooped up James, carrying him over to their makeshift changing station.

"Glad you place your son's entertainment higher than my peace of mind," Ron muttered, and this time it was Ginny who retorted.

"He's every bit as much a person as you are, Ronald, with the right to entertain himself. And in case you haven't noticed, he is six weeks old and therefore, yes, he does need more care than a seventeen-year-old brat," she snapped.

"Oh, now I'm a brat, am I?" Ron asked, getting up to face her. Ginny stood as well.

"Yes, you are. Sitting around on your arse all day moaning and complaining about how cold you are, how much your arm hurts, how there's nothing to eat and you're just _so hungry_-d'you think the rest of us aren't going through the same thing?"

"Well at least your arm isn't split open!" Ron yelled.

"Shut it!" Hermione yelled, so loudly that it startled both Ron and Ginny into silence. "There's someone outside the tent!"

The silence inside the tent was complete, for even James wasn't fussing. Harry had just finished changing his diaper and was frozen next to the couch, the baby in his arms.

"Get the lights," he whispered to Ron, who clicked the Deluminator at once. "Are the protective enchantments up?"

"Yes," Hermione replied. "I did them this morning."

They all glanced at Harry's Sneakoscope, which was lying flat on the table, unmoving.

"Put James in his cradle," Ginny whispered as the first rumble of voices could be heard. "I wish we could hear what they're saying!"

"I have some Extendable Ears," Hermione whispered back, already rummaging through her bag. "Here."

She tossed each of them a long, fleshy string and hurried to the front of the tent. Harry, Ron, and Ginny followed, each quickly cramming a string into their ear. The closer Ginny got to the tent flap, the clearer the voices became, until finally, it was as though she were standing among those speaking.

"Might be some salmon in 'ere, eh?" came a weary voice. "Not too late in the season, and we're far enough upstream. _Accio Salmon!"_

The sound of slapping flesh and grunting followed. Then the same voice spoke again. "I'll make us a fire and get these roasting. Can't eat 'em raw, now, can we?" He chuckled, but no one else spoke, though it was clear he was with a group of people.

None of the group outside spoke as the sounds of branches being snapped off trees filled the clearing. A fire flared to life somewhere close to the tent, and soon the smell of roasting salmon drifted over them, making Ginny's stomach rumble.

"Here you are, Griphook, Gornuk," said the same weary voice. Ginny nudged Hermione and mouthed, _Goblins!_ and Hermione nodded.

The goblins thanked the men in English, and the sounds of chewing could vaguely be heard until another member of the group spoke.

"How long have you all been on the run?" he asked, and Harry frowned, almost as though he recognized the voice.

"Oh, I dunno...six or seven weeks, maybe," the weary voice answered. "I'm Muggle-born, see, and I worked at the Ministry for awhile, but that Runcorn bloke got my family tree examined. I was halfway to Azkaban when I managed to Stun the bloke taking me there and get away on his broom. I ran into Griphook not too long after and joined up with Gornuk just a couple weeks ago. You?"

Harry poked Hermione, drawing Ginny's attention as well. He mouthed a name that Ginny couldn't make out, but Hermione's eyes widened and she nodded. Ginny poked Hermione and looked at her questioningly. She mouthed the name again, and this time, Ginny caught it. Dirk Cresswell, former member of the Goblin Liaison office at the Ministry of Magic.

"Well, I refused to register as a Muggle-born when they asked. Knew it was only a matter of time, so when I heard there were Death Eaters in the area I took off. My wife'll be fine, she's pureblood."

"Ted Tonks," Harry murmured quietly. Ron punched him on the shoulder to shut him up.

"What about you, kid?" Dirk Cresswell asked. "Muggle-born?"

"I dunno," the voice of Dean Thomas replied. "My dad left my mum when I was a kid, and I've no proof he was a wizard."

There was a short silence before Ted Tonks spoke again. "Griphook, Gornuk, why are you on the run? Last I heard it, the goblins were working for You-Know-Who."

"This is a wizard's war," rasped one of them back. "We take no sides. When Gringotts was removed from the hands of the goblins and I was asked to perform duties that did not befit my station, I left, for I recognize no Wizarding master."

The other goblin muttered something in Gobbledegook, and both of the goblins laughed.

"What's the joke?" Dean asked.

"He said there are things wizards don't recognize either," Dirk replied, "but I'm missing something here..."

"So is Severus Snape," laughed a goblin with a higher voice, "though he knows it not."

"What are you talking about?"

"I had my revenge before I left," the higher-voiced goblin replied.

"Didn't manage to lock him up in a high-security vault, did you?" asked Ted Tonks.

"The sword would not have helped him if I did!"

"I don't get it," Dean said.

"Did you hear about the kids who tried to steal Gryffindor's sword from the headmaster's office at Hogwarts?" Dirk asked.

"Nah, wasn't it the Prophet, was it?" Ted Tonks replied.

"Definitely not. Couple of kids managed to get into the office and smashed open the glass case and took the sword. They got caught as they were trying to smuggle it back down the stairs."

"How'd you hear about this?" Dean asked.

"I'm good friends with old Augusta Longbottom. Her grandson and his crazy girlfriend were two of the kids who tried to steal it."

Ginny's heart skipped a beat. Neville and Luna...what on earth were they up to?

"Anyways," the lower-voiced goblin continued, "Snape decided the sword wasn't safe where it was and relocated it to Gringotts with the help of some of his Death Eater friends. The only problem is, that sword is a fake."

"I see," Ted Tonks said. "And I take it you did not trouble the Death Eaters with this information?"

"I saw no reason to," the goblin replied, and now they all laughed. Harry and Hermione were staring at each other, both of their eyes wide.

When the laughter outside finally abated, the only conversation that followed was the decision of where to camp that night. Ginny pulled the Extendable Ear out and turned to Harry. "Explain."

"That sword...that's not the real sword," he said. "Dumbledore wanted to leave me the real sword, which means it has to be valuable in destroying the Horcruxes somehow," he pointed out.

"Don't you remember your second year?" Hermione asked. "You stabbed a Basilisk in the mouth with it, and goblin metal only takes in that which makes it stronger! It's impregnated with basilisk venom, which means-"

"It can destroy Horcruxes!" Harry said excitedly. "_That's_ why Dumbledore left it to me!"

"But where is it?" Ginny asked, and the tent fell silent. The excited looks on Harry's and Hermione's faces faded.

"I don't know," Harry said. "It had to be somewhere he knew I'd find it."

"Hogsmeade?" Ginny asked, but Harry shook his head.

"Snape would be able to search Hogsmeade, and Dumbledore wouldn't want him to find it," Harry replied.

"But Dumbledore trusted Snape," Ginny reminded him.

"Not enough to tell him where the real sword was!" Harry objected. "Which means it must be..."

Ginny, Hermione, and Harry all stared at each other, each wracking their brains for a place the sword might be. Ginny could think of none that Snape wouldn't know of, and from the looks on their faces, neither could Harry and Hermione.

"It had to be somewhere far away from Hogsmeade," Harry said, half to himself. "What do you reckon, Ron? Ron?"

The three of them looked around, and finally Ginny spotted Ron lying on his bunk, looking rather stony.

"Ron?" she asked cautiously, knowing something was wrong.

"Oh, remembered me, have you?" he asked, and his strained voice told Ginny all she needed to know. "Well, great for you. Carry on, I wouldn't want to ruin your fun."

Ginny had half a mind to do just that, but before she could, Harry spoke.

"What's the problem, Ron?"

"There isn't one," Ron said in that strained voice. "Not according to you, at least."

"Well obviously you've got one, so spit it out," Ginny said, crossing her arms and shifting her weight to one side.

"Fine," Ron snapped, getting up to his feet. He looked mean, completely unlike himself. "I'll spit it out. But don't expect me to jump up and down just because there's another damn thing we've got to find. Just add it to the list of stuff you don't know."

"_I_ don't know?" Harry replied, and Ginny heard the anger building in his voice. Several plunks on the canvas told her it had started to rain.

"I'm not exactly having the time of my life here," Ron snapped, "freezing my backside off every night and not sleeping because of that baby, with my arm all mangled and nothing to eat. I guess it was too much to hope that we'd have actually accomplished something after a few weeks of this."

"Ron," Hermione said, so quietly that Ron pretended not to hear her over the steadily increasing rain on the canvas.

"I thought you knew what you signed up for," Harry said.

"I thought I did, too," Ron replied.

"Well, if you were under the impression we'd be staying in five-star hotels, eating gourmet meals, finding a Horcrux every other day and we'd be back to your Mum by Christmas, then I guess you didn't know what you signed up for!" Harry said, his voice rising.

"Well, I just thought you knew what you were doing!" Ron yelled back. "I thought we'd actually have accomplished something after running around for a few weeks, I thought you'd actually have a plan-"

"Ronald!" Ginny said, sharply, feeling a spark of anger ignite in herself, too. "In case you haven't noticed, we have found a Horcrux!"

"And we're about as close to it as destroying the others-nowhere effing near, in other words!" he yelled at her. James awoke and started fussing, but Ginny didn't move.

"Take off the locket, Ron," Hermione said, her voice high and nervous. "You wouldn't be saying this if you'd been wearing it all day-"

"Yes, he would," Harry snapped. "I know you're all disappointed in me for not having a good enough plan, I've seen all of you talking behind my back-"

"Harry," Hermione said, but Ginny interrupted.

"So I can't even have a conversation with either of them without you suspecting it's about you? I can't even talk to Hermione if I'm on my period? I can't talk to Ron just because I want to? He's my brother, Harry, and my world does not revolve around you!"

"Don't lie!" Ron yelled back, over James' loud cries. "You've said you've wished we'd found a little more too-"

"Well, maybe I am, but I'm sure putting up with it a hell of alot better than you are!" Ginny yelled back, purposefully avoiding Harry's eyes as she went over to rock James' cradle. She tried to calm down as she stared at her son's face, but it was hard. The excitement from only a few moments ago was gone, and she could feel their group splintering apart.

"Why are you still here?" Harry asked, his voice quieter but still strained.

"Search me," Ron replied, his tone also quieter but still full of anger.

"Then go home," Harry snapped.

"Maybe I will!" Ron was yelling again, and this time he took a step toward Harry. Ginny, forgetting all about James, who had quieted down a little, stood up. "Don't you even care what they said about Luna and Neville? He could have tortured them, or worse, Merlin only knows-"

"I don't think any of the teachers would have let them-"

"I get it, you don't care what happens to them! Well, I do, all right-"

"Ron, stop it!" Hermione said, forcing her way between the two boys. "Take the locket off, calm down, stop this madness-"

Ron shoved her out of the way and took another step toward Harry. Ginny took several steps forward as well. "I guess it's all right for you and Hermione, isn't it, with no family to worry about-"

"My family is DEAD!" Harry roared.

"And mine could be headed the same way!"

"Then GO! Get out of here, to back to Mummy-"

Ron launched himself at Harry and they wrestled briefly for a moment. As Ginny ran towards them, she was reminded briefly of the time Ron had attacked Harry when he first found out Ginny was pregnant with James. The darkness of the situation had been there even then, she realized sadly.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Hermione was yelling, tears streaming down her face. Ginny could tell she was at her breaking point.

"STOP IT NOW!" Ginny yelled, shoving each of them roughly by the shoulder. Somehow, they stumbled apart. "This is ridiculous! We are a team, we're friends, we should not be fighting-"

"A team, are we?" Ron asked, breathing heavily. "I don't think so."

He ripped the Horcrux off his head and picked up his rucksack, which was sitting nearby, then turned to Hermione.

"Are you coming, or are you staying?" he asked, and his voice was so quiet they could barely hear it over James, who was screaming again.

"I-I'm staying, Ron, we-we promised we'd help, and-"

"I get it. You choose him," Ron spat, and then he turned and stormed out into the night. Ginny stared at the flap for a moment and then followed him.

The rain was pouring down, and it soaked her instantly, but she kept going, following her brother. He had just made it to the edge of the protective enchantments when she caught up with him.

"So is that it? You're just leaving?" she asked.

"Shut up," he yelled. "You don't know what it's like!"

"No, I don't know, Ron, because you're being too big of an idiot to tell me!" Ginny yelled back, furious with him. "If you would just tell us why this is such a big deal, we could help-"

"It's that damn Horcrux!" he yelled. "It-it gets inside my brain and-and I hate it, but they _make_ me wear it and-"

And much to Ginny's surprise, Ron sat down on the wet, mucky ground, his rucksack still strapped to his back, buried his face in his arms, and started to cry.

"Ron-Ron, what-what is it?" Ginny asked, crouching next to him, completely shocked. She could remember the last time she'd seen her brother cry.

"The Horcrux," he said, raising his head and wiping his nose on his jacket. The rain streamed down his face, sticking his hair to his head and mixing with his tears. "It-it affects me more than it affects any of you, I'm telling you-it gets inside my head and it gives me all these thoughts about turning you and Harry and Hermione and James in-and I fight it, because I know I can't do that but-every 36 hours or whatever it just starts again."

"We have to get rid of it," Ginny said. "I knew it would have this effect, I knew it-physical contact doesn't help, my arse."

"But what can we do with it? We can't lose it, Harry is right about that," Ron pointed out.

"We can keep it with the Sneakoscope or something. I'm sure Hermione's got some type of box we could use. But we're not wearing it any more. Come on, let's get out of this rain, and we can deal with it later." She held out a hand, and helped him up.

"Wait, Ginny-I'm-I'm sorry," he said. "I was being a jerk, and I had the Horcrux on, but that's no excuse. But I really am sorry."

"I know," Ginny said. "This isn't the first time we've ever fought, and it won't be the last. But I don't think it's me you need to apologize to."

Ron nodded, then cautiously opened his arms. Ginny walked right into them and hugged her older brother tightly, ignoring the cold and wet and just being grateful that he was still here with them. Finally, she pulled away and smiled at him.

"Come on, let's go apologize."

**I know this is a really touchy part for people in Deathly Hallows, so I hope I did it justice, or at least made it seem convincible. Anyways, leave a review, please!**

**Lovelovelove -D-**


	5. Godric's Hollow (Ch 10)

**GAH I AM SO SORRY IT'S BEEN SO LONG! I've been on a "staycation" recently - had cousins I haven't seen in eight years come over and we had SUCH a great time, but I was also SUPER busy. There was a wedding in the family, too, and I was a bridesmaid, and then we all went down to D.C. for a couple days, so I've barely had time to sleep, let alone write. Anyways, I finished this up this morning and figured I ought to post it. Warning, though: I haven't had time to start on the next chapter before I posted this one like I usually do, so the next wait might be just as long as this one. Maybe longer.**

**Disclaimer: Story idea is CaseyLove's, anything you recognize is JKR's. Also: YOU MUST READ CASEYLOVE'S BEGINNING OF THIS STORY FIRST! (just in case you missed it the last four times)**

**Chapter Ten: Godric's Hollow**

Although neither Hermione nor Harry forgave Ron quite as readily as Ginny did, tensions between the four teenagers in the tent eased, and Ron and Hermione were even back to holding hands by the end of the week. Ginny managed to convince Harry that the locket would be perfectly safe even when it was not physically attached to them, and as a result, the atmosphere in the tent was greatly lifted, and even the routine two weeks of traveling day after day seemed just a little more bearable.

However, one evening as Harry and Ginny sat together on the rug, James drinking wide-eyed from a bottle in Harry's arms, Harry decided to open another can of worms.

"So," he said, carefully setting down James' now-empty bottle and handing the infant over to Ginny for burping, "I've been thinking, and I've thought of one more place we could go. I dunno if we'd find a Horcrux there, but it's worth a shot for the Sword of Gryffindor."

Hermione shot him a wary look. "Harry...where is this place?"

"Godric's Hollow," he said quietly. The already quiet tent seemed to suddenly ooze a deafening silence, and he hurried on. "I mean, Dumbledore lived there as a kid, it obviously had meaning to him. Maybe he'd put the sword there."

He could see the skeptical looks on all of their faces, but he couldn't think of any other place to look. And besides, it was his home, the place he'd been born and lived, briefly. It was the first place he'd ever been happy. The place where he'd had parents. He needed to go back.

To his surprise, it was Ginny who spoke first. "I agree with Harry," she said. Ron and Hermione both stared at her in surprise, so she continued. "I mean, where else are we going to go? We aren't making any more progress than we were two weeks ago, and we can't keep hiding out here forever."

"I guess so..." Hermione said slowly. "But I still think it's too risky. You-Know-Who is bound to have a trap set up."

"Great," Ginny said, finally tired of sitting around and doing nothing. "Then you and Ron stay here with James and Harry and I will go. I'm sick of sitting around in this tent, we need to do something."

It took a lot of arguing, but eventually Ron and Hermione agreed to stay in the tent with James and let Harry and Ginny go to Godric's Hollow.

After three straight days of planning, Harry and Ginny stood beside each other at the front of the tent, their hands clasped.

"Be safe," Hermione said for the millionth time that day. She was holding James against her, holding him tightly, and only Ginny knew how afraid she was that neither of them would come back. They'd talked about it last night, much later than either of them should've been up.

"We'll be back," Ginny promised, leaning over to give Hermione one last hug and kiss James' forehead once more. She took a deep breath and turned to Harry. "Let's go."

They gripped each other's hands tightly, waved to Ron and Hermione, and then, with a loud _CRACK_, Disapparated.

When Ginny opened her eyes again, they were in a small town square, standing next to a war memorial. Snow was falling gently around them. Opposite of them was a large brick church, the warm candlelight of the windows making patterns across the cobblestones. As Ginny was taking all this in, she heard a song start up from inside the church; within seconds, she recognized it.

"Harry, I think it's Christmas Eve! Listen!" They bent their heads towards the church, both listening intently.

"I think it is," he finally whispered. "Happy Christmas, Ginny."

"Happy Christmas," she whispered back, and right there in the middle of the town square, they kissed, their lips warm and soothing to each other, until Ginny gave a gasp and pulled away.

"Harry, we-we haven't gotten anything for James!" she said, and she sounded so distressed he knew they'd have to get something.

"Well, we're here, aren't we?" he asked, sweeping his arms out. "There's plenty of shops. We can slip inside one of them and grab something."

"Excellent," she replied, grinning mischievously, and they set off across the square. A shop that advertised baby supplies was hidden next to a large bookstore, and they entered it together, both jumping slightly at the tinkle of the bell.

It was only dimly lit inside, but the supplies on the shelves were all new and fairly well-stocked, considering the time of the season. They hunted around for awhile until finally, Ginny found something she figured Harry would approve of.

"Harry, look at these!" she said, bringing them over to him. It was a set of four stuffed balls, one resembling a Quaffle, two a Bludger, and the fourth a rather large Golden Snitch.

"Perfect," he announced. "Shall we go?"

"No, we need some nappies, too, and while we're at it, he could use some larger clothes."

"Can't you multiply the clean nappies and put a charm on the clothes?" Harry asked, following her to the back of the store.

"Nappies, maybe, but the clothes are sort of frayed, anyway. I don't know how much longer I can keep enlarging them, they might burst," Ginny replied, plopping two boxes of nappies into Harry's arms. "And it's Christmas, for the love of Merlin."

Harry shrugged, and they picked out three outfits for James before heading to the cash register. Thankfully, the cashier was an old, wizened woman with nearly no teeth. She took forever ringing up the purchases, but didn't bat an eye at the set of Quidditch balls, nor so much as glance at Harry or Ginny.

They left the store, heading back out into the square, holding hands. Though Ginny was happier than she'd been for a good while, she could still feel a bit of a prickling on the back of her neck that made her on guard. Harry, too, was glancing around perhaps a bit more often than was needed, but she couldn't blame him as they continued past the middle of the square.

Suddenly, he froze, and her hand was on her wand (hidden in her jacket) before she even turned. "Harry, what-" she began, but then she saw, too, and stood absolutely still. Where the war memorial had been, there was now a statue of three people: a man with untidy hair, a woman with a kind, round face, and a baby boy in the woman's arms, smiling up at her.

Harry moved a little closer to the statue, staring at it hungrily. Ginny followed him, looking up into the faces of Harry's parents for the first time. She could see Harry in every bit of James' face, and could see the shape of his eyes on Lily's. Lily, in particular, interested her. Ginny, having had her own child, understood the sacrifice Lily had made for Harry. If it hadn't been for the brave woman on the statue, Ginny would not have even been standing here now. She could have been dead, a Death Eater, or at Hogwarts right now. She would never know.

"C'mon," Harry finally croaked, and they continued towards a graveyard behind the church in silence. "D'you think they'll be here?" Harry asked when they'd reached the kissing gate, his voice so quiet Ginny could hardly hear him over the loud carols from the church.

"Yes," she said. "I can't think of anywhere else they'd be." And together, they pushed open the gate and went inside.

The snow was soft and white, undisturbed and perfect. The moment they entered the graveyard, it was as though all other sounds had vanished, leaving them in a perfect bubble of silence. Unsure of what to do, Ginny walked over and brushed some snow off of the nearest tombstone to see the name. _Abbott._

A memory of a pink-faced girl with ponytails came to Ginny's mind, and she smiled sadly. Hannah was a year above her, and though they weren't close, they'd worked together a few times in Dumbledore's Army, and Ginny knew her to be a nice girl.

She moved to the next tombstone, and the one after that, and so on, watching Harry out of the corner of her eye. She knew this would be a big moment for him, and she wanted to be right there with him when he found his parents.

She went to brush the snow off of another headstone, and found herself staring at a very familiar name. _Dumbledore._ "Harry..." she called, her hesitant voice much too loud in the silence.

He came crashing over, leaving a haphazard trail through the snow. "What? Did you find them?"

"Not yet, but...look at this," she said, pointing to the headstone. Harry crouched and brushed some more snow off the stone. Two more names appeared: _Kendra _and _Ariana._

"So it's true," he whispered. "Dumbledore did live here." Ginny could hear the anger and hurt in his voice, and she squeezed his shoulder gently.

"Remember, Harry, everyone has their secrets," she said. He didn't look at her, just brushed away more snow and finally uncovered the quote on the tomb.

"'Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,'" he said slowly. Ginny knew Dumbledore must have chosen those words, and she thought they were beautiful, considering that his mother and sister had died so young. "What d'you suppose that means?" he asked.

"I think...I think it means that you should love the things you treasure," Ginny replied slowly. "And for Dumbledore, I think it means he treasured his mother and sister, even if it was a little too late, but he always loved them."

Harry was quiet for a while, digesting her words, then he stood up. "Let's keep looking."

Ginny just nodded, not really knowing what to say to him. She watched him walk off in the opposite direction and just shook her head. She went back to brushing the snow off of headstones, not knowing what she was going to say or do when Harry finally found his parents.

She'd been searching for about ten minutes and was starting to get cold when she came upon an interesting headstone. She bent over and studied the symbol emblazoned at the top of the grave. A triangle enclosing a circle, with a line dividing both shapes exactly in half. What in the world...? She bent down and brushed the snow off the name. _Peverell. _

"Ginny," came Harry's voice out of the dark, and she straightened immediately. She could tell from his voice that he'd found his parents at last, and she hurried to him, only a few rows away. He was staring at a large, white, marble headstone that, for some reason, had no snow on it. Two names were etched clearly into the stone.

_James Potter_

_Born 27 March 1960_

_Died 31 October 1981_

_Lily Potter_

_Born 30 January 1960_

_Died 31 October 1981_

_The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death_

Ginny stared at the headstone, feeling a sadness that weighed on her entire body and made her want to lie in the snow and never get up, to be buried under the fluffy whiteness. She tried to imagine growing up without her mother and father. Such a thing was, to her, unimaginable, and yet Harry had done it. She reached over and took his hand, which was cold and trembling, and squeezed. He squeezed back, and when she turned to see his face, the expression of pain made her heart contract.

"What...what does that mean?" he asked, his voice both too quiet and too loud in the silent graveyard. "'The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death'? Isn't that a Death Eater idea?"

"No, of course not," Ginny said instantly. "It means...it means living beyond death, living after death. With love. Not the way the Death Eaters meant it." When Harry still didn't look convinced, she went on. "Harry...you've heard what Remus, Sirius, Hagrid, and everyone else has said about them. Never has anyone ever once mentioned that they were Death Eaters. Don't you believe that for a second."

He just nodded, and she saw the tears falling down his cheeks. Gently, she wiped them away and leaned her head on his shoulder. He held her tightly, so tightly she could barely breathe, but she made no objections, leaning into the warmth of his chest, feeling it rise and fall beneath her. It had been so long since the two of them had really had "alone time", and she wrapped her arms around him as well, trying to let him take comfort from her.

When he finally let go, she raised her wand, concentrated as hard as she could, and produced a wreath of red and white Christmas roses for him to lay on his parents' grave. Harry caught them and laid them gently on the ground in front of the headstone. He traced his fingers lightly over each of his parents names, then stood.

"C'mon. Let's go," he said, tears still choking his voice. Ginny wrapped her arm around his waist, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and together, they made their way back to the shadowy form of the kissing gate.

**So, I hope I did okay. It was really interesting to explore this chapter from Ginny's point of view, especially as a new mother. I hope I did it justice. Anyways, the next chapter is going to be something CaseyLove hadn't mentioned putting in, but something I've always wanted to explore, so I hope it works out okay!**

**Please leave me a review!**

**lovelovelove -D-**


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